Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has signed HB 3761 into law, expanding access to Art Therapy for Oregonians on Medicaid/Oregon Health Plan. It will go into effect in 2026, ensuring that Oregonians with the fewest resources can benefit from this powerful mental health treatment.
Mary Andrus, assistant professor and co-director of the Art Therapy Program at Lewis & Clark’s Graduate School of Education and Counseling, and Kris Bella, clinical instructor and clinical coordinator, have led the effort since 2019, with an intensive focus over the past two years to bring the impactful legislature to fruition.
Andrus and Bella began considering the need for medicaid billing while working with an art therapy alumna who encountered barriers at her workplace due to being unable to bill insurance for the services she provided to clients.
“The situation with our alum helped us recognize the financial inequity that was happening in the field of art therapy,” explains Andrus. “It motivated us to explore the legislative pathway to address the billing codes specific to our work and training as art therapists.”
Andrus and Bella were supported in their efforts by Representative Thuy Tran, Senator Kayse Jama, art therapist and adjunct professor Gaelan Harmon-Walker, art therapy alumna Kadyn Mauldin, and the Art Therapy Task Force–a group of more than 20 students, faculty, art therapy clinicians, and supervisors.
As Representative Thuy Tran testified in support of HB 3761, “authorizing medicaid reimbursement [for Art Therapy] reduces disparities, enhances continuity of care, and addresses the rising mental health needs across our state.” Senator Kayse Jama also backed the bill, noting that for immigrants and refugees, Art Therapy can be particularly effective in addressing trauma that is hard to put into words.
Andrus explains that Art Therapy’s reliance on somatic practices makes it especially effective for trauma treatment.
“Neurobiologically, we know how trauma encodes in the brain in ways that can shut down a person’s ability to talk about it. Art Therapy uses approaches that soothe the nervous system and help create new, healthier responses,” she says. “Art Therapy is also particularly helpful for engaging children and youth, as well as individuals with language barriers or who are nonverbal.”
The new law positions Oregon as a national leader in expanding mental health care access while supporting art therapists in building sustainable, impactful careers serving the public.
“We hope it will serve as an example to other states of how to increase access to services for people who need them the most,” says Andrus. “We’ll continue to advocate for commercial insurance panels in Oregon to follow suit and offer access to art therapy as well.”
Andrus spoke to the Jefferson Exchange about the impact of the new legislature, reaching audiences across Southern Oregon and Northern California. The segment is available online for streaming.
This is not the first bill supporting the growing field of art therapy that Andrus, Bella and their team have helped pass. Oregon House Bill 2434, which provides art therapy licensing and title protection for credentialed professionals, was signed into law by Governor Kate Brown on May 25, 2017.
